


Reinado

by roku_110



Category: Elena of Avalor (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Drinking, F/M, Language, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 22:54:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29750256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roku_110/pseuds/roku_110
Summary: This story follows the early years of Elena's reign over Avalor, as Crown Princess and later as Queen.A more mature take of the show. Rating may change as the story progresses.No Magic- AU
Relationships: Elena Castillo Flores & Naomi Turner, Elena Castillo Flores/Gabriel "Gabe" Núñez, Mateo de Alva & Elena Castillo Flores
Kudos: 2





	Reinado

“Elena, it’s time to wake up.” She felt a hand nudge her shoulder.

“Come on Mija, you need to get ready for the day.” The voice spoke again, and Elena opened her eyes, squinting against the sun. When her eyes readjusted to the light, she saw her mother, Lucia, looking down at her.

Her shiny brown hair was parted down the middle flowing down in soft waves. She smiled at Elena, her hazel eyes gleaming in the light.

“Ma?” Elena sat up in her bed, the covers gathering around her. “What time did you guys get back?”

Lucia sat down on the bed and grabbed Elena’s hands; she turned them over to rub her thumbs against her knuckles. “We got back last night; you were asleep when I stopped by your room.”

“Now come on and get ready, today is a big day.” Lucia released her hands and got up and walked towards the dresser in the room.

“Big day? What’s today?”

“Your coronation, mi amor.” Lucia turned around to look at Elena. “You’re going to be queen.”

“Wha- what about papa?’ Elena got out of bed and walked towards her mom. “What happened?”

Lucia reached out for Elena’s face and gently caressed her face “We’re both okay, don’t worry about us.”

“But I’m not ready to be queen, mom.” Elena felt tears build up in her eyes, she put her hand on top of her mother’s. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Mija, trust your instincts,” Lucia looked into her eyes. “Always.”

She continued, “Your father and I will be okay, and I know both you and your sister are in good hands.”

-

Elena’s eyes shot open, but couldn’t pierce the darkness basking the room. A single sliver of moonlight broke through the curtains and into the room.

She breathed heavily; her hand moved up to her face and felt tears rolling down her cheeks. The deep gutting feeling returned in her stomach. Bile climbed up her throat. Before she knew it, she clamped a hand over her mouth and rushed to the bathroom. She reached the toilet and emptied her stomach.

She wanted to forget and swallow her grief but the dream kept replaying in her mind. She could still feel the pressure of her mother’s hand on her shoulder.

Elena flushed the toilet and went to the sink to wash up. She looked up at her reflection in the mirror and let out a sigh-

She looked awful, though compared to the past few months it was not even close to her worst. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, tears falling down her cheeks and sweat forming along her forehead. And to top it off, Elena now had bile on her chin.

Her parents had passed 6 months ago, but to Elena, it still felt like last week. Her chest still felt empty. And the nauseating feeling was not letting up anytime soon.

She rinsed her face with cold water and washed her mouth to get rid of the bitter taste. She grabbed one of the towels that was rolled up on the counter and patted her face dry, feeling a lot more refreshed.

The vivid dream kept replaying in her head.

Coronation? Another sigh escaped her lips. The six months had flown by; the mourning period was over. She could now become queen.

The thought sent another wave of nausea through her, but she forced it down. Was she ready? A part of her knew she did not have a choice, but she wanted to be more prepared for the position. But time seemed to slip through her fingers. All the years she was hoping to have were now gone.

She walked back into her room; it was not her usual room in the palace. Elena, Isabel, and their grandparents had been staying in the family’s hacienda. The house was far from the city and surrounded by acres of fields. They were staying there for the summer. 

For the most part, Elena was glad to be here. After her parent’s funeral, the palace had been suffocating her. The condolences did not have meaning anymore from the number of times she heard them.

She took a glance around her room; she could see a form under the covers of her bed. I didn’t wake up Isa, Elena thought. She looked over at the clock hanging on the wall next to the bathroom door,

**_5:30_ **

Elena cringed; it was way too early to start getting ready for the day. But with the lingering bitter feeling in her stomach, she doubted she could fall back to sleep. So, Elena decided to head to the kitchen and make herself a cup of tea. She hoped the warmth of the cup would soothe her stomach and make her sleepy.

She made her way downstairs in the dark, trying to avoid making noise. The rest of the house still slept, aside from the guards stationed outside.

Once Elena reached the kitchen, she began to look for a match to turn on the stovetop. As she put on a flame, she grabbed for a jar to put the water in. When she turned around, she let out a gasp and almost dropped the jar. She couldn’t see who it was but there was a dark shadow looming near the doorway leading into the kitchen. Her only light source was the small flame and light from the descending moon. She glared at the figure before realizing who it was.

“What the hell, Gabe,” she said before turning back to put the water-filled jug on the flame to boil. Gabe walked into the kitchen, his hand placed on his sword.

He was dressed in his typical military attire. The blue uniform was well iron and crisp for someone to be up at that hour. 

“What are you doing here at this hour? I thought someone broke in.” He said.

“I’m making tea.” She replied as if it was the most obvious thing.

“I can see that.” He rolled his eyes. “But at this hour? Isn’t it a bit too early for that?”

Her eyes watched the flame as it curled at the bottom of the jug. “I’m trying to fall back asleep, hopefully, the tea will help.”

His eyes softened. “Did you have a dream again?”

Elena kept her eyes on the flame. “Yes.”

“Well, at least this time you’re not walking outside at three in the morning.”

A smile formed on her lips. “To be fair, I wanted to get some fresh air. I apologize if that made you lose ten years of your lifetime.”

Gabe laughed, once he calmed down, he made his way to where Elena stood. She was still looking at the flame, the water now at a low simmer.

His expression was serious.“Are you okay?”

Maybe it was because he moved closer to her or it was the way he said it, but it made her look up at him. The sincerity in his voice and face made her eyes burn with unwanted tears.

She looked away and tried to blink them away. Was she okay? Is this normal?

“I don’t know,” she said and sighed. “I’m scared to go back. But it’s my duty and I don’t want to run away from it. I miss my parents and going back is going to make it worse., But it’s my home, the only one I’ve known.” Her eyes returned to the flame.

Gabe crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter. His eyes narrowed at the flame, “When I lost my dad 10 years ago, it hurt a lot. It still hurts. That’s the thing Elena, this pain that you feel, it’s not going to go away. You just learn how to get used to it. And that’s going to take time. It’s okay if you don’t know how right now.” Their eyes met followed by silence, Elena taking in his words as she looked at him.

The sound of sizzling water made them flinch, the water boiling over the edge of the jar and falling onto the hot stove. Elena grabbed a cloth before carefully picking up the jar off the flame and moving it on top of the counter.

Steam was coming up from the water as it still attempted to boil over. She went through the cabinets to look for mugs, she looked over her shoulder,

“Tea?”

Gabe put out the flame and shook his head “Maybe next time, I need to get back and start my rounds.”

She tried not to look disappointed as she nodded. “Okay.” She hoped to continue the conversation. She pulled out a mug from the cabinet and placed it down on the counter. She moved around the kitchen to look for tea leaves.

Gabe had already made his way to the entrance to the kitchen and turned around to look at Elena. “Make sure you get some sleep,” he said before leaving.

Elena was left alone fixing her cup of tea. The rising sun just beginning to seep through the windows. She made her way upstairs back to her room.

When she opened the door, Isabel was still curled up under the covers. Carefully, Elena sat back down on the bed trying not to spill the tea as she pushed herself to rest up against the headboard. She cupped the mug in her hands feeling the warmth on her palms. The steam was hitting her face and she got a whiff of the floral tea.

Now, it was just the bed, the mug, and her thoughts.

She took a sip of her tea, feeling the warmth go down her throat. Even now from just one sip, Elena felt her mind go at ease. The nightmare faded into a distant memory.

She managed to finish the tea and set the mug on the nightstand next to the bed. Her eyelids started to get heavy with sleep. She laid back down on the bed, pulling the cover towards her. At least she could slide in an hour or two before she had to get ready for the day.

-

The drizzling rain hit against the window. The drops that managed to stick slowly made their way down the glass. Light grey clouds covered the sky. It wasn’t the perfect day for moving.

Elena looked out of the window from her study. Servants and guards went in and out of the house, carrying boxes and luggage to the carriages that were waiting to be loaded up.

She looked away to gather the papers that were scattered across the desk. Among them were letters she had received from various leaders in different countries and documents concerning Avalor. She put them in their box to take back to the palace.

Today was the day they went back to the city. As much as Elena appreciated the stay at the hacienda, she knew she had to go back at some point. She couldn’t hide forever. Esteban was stepping up and decided to overview the day-to-day operations while Elena viewed the issues that required a royal seal. Which was pretty much just treaties and trade with other countries.

A thought lingered in the back of her mind. The dream she had three nights ago.

Her coronation.

Just thinking about it made Elena shiver. That morning, she had gone down for breakfast and talked about it with her grandparents. Explaining to them, her underlying fear she had of becoming queen so soon.

Glancing up to look around the room, Elena made sure she didn’t leave anything out. There was a soft knock at the door.

“Come in,” she called out.

Isabel walked in. “Abuela wanted to know if you were done packing.” She came up to the seat that was on the other side of Elena’s desk.

“I just put away the last of my things.” Elena stacked two boxes on top of the desk. “Were you able to break apart the guinea pig’s cage?’

During their stay at the hacienda, Isabel won two guinea pigs at the local fair. It took a lot of convincing to keep them, but two weeks later they were still around. Isa spent most of her free time making toys for them and expanding their cage.

Isa nodded her head. “Yeah, we had to move them into a smaller cage, so that we can have them with us in the carriage.”

“Hopefully, they don’t get sick. It’ll take us 4 hours to get to the palace.” Elena turned to grab her bag which was laying on the desk and grabbed one of the boxes “Speaking of, we shouldn’t get behind schedule.” She made her way around her desk.

Someone knocked at the door, stopping Elena in her tracks “Yes?” she called out.

The door opened to reveal Gabe. “Good morning, princesses.” He bowed. “Your grandmother sent me up to-“

“Yes, yes.” Elena waved her hand. “To make sure I was done packing,”

Gabe looked up with a startled look on his face.

“She also sent Isa to check up on me.” She pointed towards Isabel.

“Oh,” he said, making his way further into the room. “Do you need help carrying the boxes?”

Elena motioned to the one that was left on the desk. “You can carry that one.” She made one more glance around the room to make sure nothing was left out. When she didn’t find anything, she turned to Gabe and Isabel. “Great! We should make our way downstairs before Abuela sends someone else.”

Her heels clicked against the dark wooden floor. Raindrops hit against the huge arch-style windows that lined up the hallway. As they made their way to the top of the staircase, she saw her grandparents. Moving the box she had in her hands a bit to the side, she carefully made her way down the steps. Isabel and Gabe were right behind her. Once she made it down, she handed her box to a guard and thanked him. Gabe followed him outside to place the box he carried into a carriage.

Elena would miss this place. Being surrounded by miles of fields in all directions. The small town is located near the hacienda. It was so peaceful. A complete opposite of what was waiting for her in the city.

“Are you guys ready to go?” Luisa asked Elena and Isabel. She had a crème colored ceramic container in her hands that was filled with cookies. Isabel moved a bit as if she wanted to reach out to grab a cookie.

As if she knew what Isa was thinking, Luisa moved the container away. “These are for the trip,” she said.

Isabel pouted, but she moved on to more pressing matters. “Abuelo, where are the guinea pigs?”

The question seemed to throw him off, as his eyes widened for a quick second. “I gave them to…” he paused to think. “Was it Jorge? Or Juan?” he asked himself. “They both look alike.”

Elena chuckled. “It doesn’t help that they are twins.”

“We need to find them!” Isa said. She grabbed Francisco’s hand and dragged him outside to look for the guinea pigs.

“We’re leaving in 5 minutes!” Luisa called out after them.

“Where did you get the cookies?” Elena asked, now that it was just the two of them waiting by the entrance. Luisa and Elena made their way to sit down on a couch that was right under a window. The rain seemed to lighten up, but it left behind grey clouds.

“Carina made them this morning. She also made some for the guards,” Luisa said. She placed the container on her lap. “What a sweet girl. If only I could take her with me to the palace.”

Carina and her parents looked after the hacienda whenever Luisa and her family were in the city. They kept things running smoothly and were in charge of getting everything ready for their arrival in the summer.

“Isn’t she my age?” Elena asked, moving her hands to flatten out her skirt which fell just below her knees.

Luisa nodded her head, and a small smile began to form on her face. “Yes and she also got married recently,” she added before elbowing Elena at her side.

Knowing her grandmother too well, Elena rolled her eyes. “Ay, Abuela! You know that right now I think boys are dumb.”

“You just need to find the right person, Mija,” Luisa advised. “Martín was an idiot, I’ll agree with you on that wholeheartedly. But there’s someone out there in the world who is right for you.”

Martín, Elena thought, that- that was a complete mess on its own. A mess that Elena did not want to think of right now.

“Hopefully, they’re not so immature and stupid,” Elena muttered under her breath, but Luisa was able to hear her. Elena waved her hand as if to wave off the thought. “It doesn’t matter, right now I’m focused on Avalor. I need to go back to the palace and get things in order.”

“Speaking of,” Luisa started before getting up from the couch. “Where did Isa and your grandfather run off to? I don’t want to be late.”

Elena also got up from the couch and made her way to the front door and opened them.

Four carriages were in the driveway, each pulled by two horses. Three of them had drapes over them to protect the things. Isabel and Francisco were huddled over one carriage with two other guards.

“Isa!” Elena called out.

The rain left the gravel path all squashy, which made it difficult for Elena to walk on with heels. She carefully made her way to her sister, managing to use the tips of her toes.

“Did you guys find the guinea pigs?” She asked. She peered over their shoulders. It seemed to startle the two guards who were with them since they quickly fell into a deep bow.

“Your highness,” they said simultaneously

“Good morning, Jorge and Juan.” Elena offered them a smile.

“I gave them food,” Isa said as she looked up to Elena. The two guinea pigs were in a wooden box that had enough room for them to be comfortable to move around for the trip. “So they are good to go.”

She reached out to pick up the box but was quickly stopped by Jorge. “Let me help you with that, your highness.”

Isabel seemed reluctant to let them go once again but allowed Jorge to take the box.

Elena turned around to look for her grandmother. All the guards and two maids who came along with the family to the hacienda were outside. She spotted Luisa speaking to Gabe. He held a map in his hands and was pointing at different locations, probably showing Luisa all of the towns they were going to pass through. 

The air began to feel humid. The grey clouds slowly moved to the east, allowing a bit of blue sky to peek through in pockets. Francisco looked up at the sky. “It seems that the clouds will be following us.”

“At least it’ll block the sun, it’s too hot to be stuck in a carriage,” Elena said. Isa walked up to them with empty hands. Jorge and Juan moved past them to go to one of the carriages that were lined up. 

They made their way onto the carriages. And started their journey back to the palace.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hiii guyss, I hope the first chapter didn't disappoint. I've had this idea in my head for a little over a year now and decided to write it down. There's a lot of work in the near future, but I'm excited and just couldn't help to post. Comments are very much appreciated :) 
> 
> p.s. if anyone is willing to beta, I'll gladly take all the help. I'm terrified.


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